Are You Reading At Home?

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I hope everyone is reading: remember the more you read, the better reader you become!

Merry Christmas! See Ya' On January 5, 2009!

Well, we had our annual sing-along, lunch, some fun time with friends, and then it was time to get out. We all get a TWO WEEK break! I hope Santa is good to everyone and you get some rest and have some fun! I'll see you on January 5, 2009 ready to tackle fractions and 2-D Shapes!

Christmas Holidays!!!!

We get out of school for Christmas Break tomorrow at 11:40. Students will return to school on Monday, January 5, 2009. Enjoy your vacation and make sure you allow time to study notes so you don't forget your skills! HAVE FUN!!!!! Merry Christmas!

The New Diary of a Wimpy Kid book comes out in January

Here's the cover of the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book that will be coming out in January! Everyone is so excited about it! Can't wait to read THIS one and see if it is as funny as the other two!

Christmas Party Thursday/Sing A-Long Friday

My homeroom students are reminded to bring your refreshments on Thursday along with your Secret Santa gifts. Students who do not behave during the week will miss the party and report to detention. We are working this week so don't start acting up and miss out on the party.
The sing-along will be Friday at 9:30. You can also get detention that day and miss the Sing-Along which is FUN FUN FUN!
Behave and have a great week!

Helping Feed Those In Need

My homeroom collected and donated 54 canned foods for the Salvation Army Food Drive sponsored by the SCA. What a sweet bunch of students I have! They really did a great job and I'm so proud of them!

PTA TONIGHT

PTA Meeting is TONIGHT at 6pm. Our second grade students will be performing. Fifth grade students need to let your teachers know you are there! Some of our 5th-graders are helping out in the program. Do your best! See you there!

One Of Our Sayings In Math Class

All of the 5th grade students can tell you what we mean by this. In Math, you have to work out the problems and check your answers. This takes time, but in the end you succeed with the correct answer. If you try to take a shortcut and not do the work and not check your answers or if you try to "do it in your head," then you will FAIL! So, make sure you aren't trying to take the shortcut!

Area and Perimeter

We have just finished studying Area and Perimeter of Squares, Rectangles, Triangles and the 5th-grade students have REALLY done an amazing job learning the formulas and how to use the formulas to solve the problems! GOOD JOB!!!!!!!

Students Who Met Their Monthly AR Goal

Each month, students are expected to receive at least 10 AR Points. They receive a free pizza certificate from Pizza Hut and get 5 Team Day Points added to their sheet. This month I had a LOT of homeroom students achieve this goal (many achieved a LOT more than 10 points). Here's the results (with the amount of points they got for the month). CONGRATULATIONS!
Chelsey: 55.7 points
Shantia: 18.2 points
Gabby: 16.8 points
Desiree: 19.5 points
Gary: 20.8 points
Immanuel: 13.3 points
Tyra: 40.5 points
Joshua: 16.8 points
CurShun: 20.8 points
Zemiah: 21.9 points
Ryan: 18.7 points
Darius: 23 points
Jaylin: 46.5 points
Brandon: 46.8 points

LOVING The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane!

My homeroom has been reading the novel, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and LOVING every chapter! We have discussed the plot, characters, setting, theme, conflict, etc. and have learned a lot of really good "life lessons." We would STRONGLY recommend this book!

Thanksgiving Break Is This Week!

Please remember that this week we get out early on Wednesday (Nov. 26th) at 11:40. Make sure your parents know and make arrangements for you. We will be out of school on Thursday and Friday. Students return to school on Monday, December 1, 2008. I hope all of my students and their families have a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!

Activities For American Education Week

1. Career Day is Wednesday 12:30-2:00
2. Friday: SOL Celebration to recognize students who made perfect 600's last year (9:00A.M.)
3. DEAR Time every day (Drop Everything And Read). Have a book with you at all times!
4. Thursday: Dress up like the career you want in the future!
5. Friday: School Spirit Day: Wear your favorite school shirts!
6. Friday: Thanksgiving Lunch will be served
7. Mrs. Tucker will visit classrooms and read to the students during the week.
**Make sure you thank your teachers for all they do to help you learn and grow!

What's Happening This Week???

November 17-21, 2008
1. Family Life (Mon-Thursday) 9:30-10:30
2. Career Day (Wednesday)12:30-2:00

Division Update

A lot of 5th-grade students are still struggling with Division. Please review your notes and practice problems at home. We will keep working in class on this and feel free to see me in the morning (8:05-8:30) if you need some one-on-one help with anything in Math. That's what I'm here for! You are some smart 5th-graders and I KNOW you can ace all of these skills if you practice and work it out. Don't try to take shortcuts or work too fast. Remember our saying: "If you take shortcuts, you FAIL." Be smart and work it all out and SUCCEED!

Happy Halloween!

I hope all of my students have a safe and fun Halloween. Don't eat too much candy!

2nd Nine Weeks Started Today!

Students received report cards today! Many of them made really good grades and many of them have room for improvement. In Mrs. Appleton's homeroom there were 3 students who made the A/B Honor Roll: Desiree, Tyra and Brandon! GREAT JOB! Let's see more people on there this nine weeks! You can do it!

FALL BREAK!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!

I hope all of my students have a restful, fun, and safe Fall Break! I'll see you all next week!
Love ya!
Mrs. Appleton

Measuring Gourds In Grams!

Today at Intersession, one of our activities was to measure six different gourds using the triple beam balance scale. We measured these in grams and then checked to see who had gotten the measurements correct. We then measured other things like our textbook, pencils, paper, tissues, etc. GREAT PRACTICE!

Intersession Is Going On!

Well last week we finished one week of Intersession and had a ball! We did LOTS of review activities and games! WHAT A LOT OF FUN!!!!! We have one week left to go and then we are out a week for Fall Break! YAY!

SkateTown Night! What Fun!!!!!

Tonight we had Taylor's SkateTown Night! A lot of 5th grade students showed up and had a ball! I tried to get pictures of them, but they came out blurry because they were skating too fast! hahahahahaha It was fun to hang with them and see them having so much fun! Here's the 5th-grade students who were there tonight:
Gabby
Desiree
Tyra
Joshua
Zemiah
Neriah
Donald
Malik
Agustin
Tijae
IsMonie
Keshawn

OUR CLASS ALL READ 13 BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our homeroom all read 13 books for the 1/2 Marathon Reading Contest! Everyone will get to participate in the Pizza Party!!!!!!!! Great job!!!! I'm so proud of you!

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Equivalent Decimals and Fractions

Make sure that you use your flashcards we made today in class to memorize the 7 equivalent decimals and fractions. These will help you when you have to put fractions and decimals in order AND will help you later in the study of fractions. It really is worth the time to learn them. Make sure you know them from fraction to decimal and then from decimal to fraction. Here they are:
1/2 = .50
1/4 = .25
1/10 = .10
1/3 = .33
1/6 = .16
1/5 = .20
1/8 = .125

AR Started This Week!

Well, they got our AR working and this week is the first week that we are starting to gather our points. 5th-Grade students have been given their levels AND their year-long AR goal. Here are the pointers about how we do AR in 5th-grade:
1. Students are expected to ALWAYS have an AR book with them so if they finish assignments in class early, they can read their books.
2. Students are expected to get 4 AR points every week.
3. Students who get NO AR points for the week will lose 5 points off of their team day points. There is no reason a student should get ZERO points for the week.
4. Students who earn at least 10 points for the whole month will get a special reward at the end of the month.
5. Students are expected to read books ON THEIR LEVEL. If they read a book below their level, the test will be deleted and the student will lose 5 team day points for not following directions.
6. Students must make an 80 or higher on AR tests in order to pass. This means they must get 4/5 or 8/10 correct. If they make below this, the test will be deleted and they will have to take it again. They can not move on to another test until they have passed this one.
7. Students are expected to read the book BEFORE taking the test. Do not go by what your friend may tell you about a book. The teacher MAY ask you questions about your book so make sure you have read it.
8. You will get a grade each nine weeks in Reading for your AR participation. Failed tests deduct points.
9. If our class meets their class AR goal, then the students who met their individual goals will get to participate in a pizza party at the end of the year. Make sure you are working towards your goal!

What Do You Do With All Of Your Old Papers???

When I send home Math papers that are graded I expect you to KEEP THEM and use them to study for the rest of the year! They are to become your study guides and practice papers to use over and over during the year so you don't forget any of the material we have covered in class. Do NOT throw them away or put them somewhere and never look at them again. And remember: anything we do in class, you MAY see again one day as a POP QUIZ! Don't forget how to do things!!!!

First Day of School!!!!!!!!!

Well, today we started a new year of school at Taylor! It was so nice to meet and talk with all of our new 5th grade students. Many of them seem very motivated to learn and have promised to be on their best behavior! We explained all of the rules, procedures, and passed out all of the paperwork for parents to fill in and return to us. Tomorrow we start on the real work! I am excited about this year and hope that all of our students will work hard, behave, and have a wonderful year!

Open House Tomorrow (Thursday 07/31/08)

Well, it's time to meet my new 5th graders! I hope they are excited and ready to WORK and LEARN lots!!!!!!! Open House is from 4-6 p.m. tomorrow! I'll see you there!
Mrs. Appleton

It's Almost Time To Meet My New 5th-Graders!

Well, today I went to my classroom to unpack a bunch of stuff and start organizing my classroom for the new year. I am so excited!!!! Next Thursday, July 31st, is the Open House for parents to bring the students to the school to meet their new teachers. Another year is about ready to start!!!!!!!! I am hoping that my new students will come to class with enthusiasm and ready to learn a LOT of new material!!!!!!! There's a lot of work to do in 5th grade, but hopefully we will have a well-behaved group and can have lots of fun learning everything!!!! I hope they KNOW their multiplication tables!!!!!!!

Supply List For 2008-2009 5th-Grade Students!

Here's a list of the supplies that new 5th-grade students should be getting ready to start the new year:
Needed on the first day of school:
*3 inch ring binder
*(8) dividers for the binder (do not write on them yet)
*glue sticks
*pencils for personal use (no mechanical pencils please)
*1 pack of 12 pencils for classroom use
*(10) packs of notebook paper
*colored pencils
*crayons
*erasers for the pencils
*(5) boxes of tissues
*scissors
*10 multicolored highlighters
*pencil box or pouch
*ruler
*protractor (the clear, cheap kind)
*(6) packs of 3X5 index cards
*Index card file box
*1 box of gallon-sized ziplock bags
*1 box of quart-sized ziplock bags
*optional: 1 spray can of Lysol disinfectant spray

END OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, today our 5th graders were promoted! We held our awards ceremony and our students looked soooooooooooooooooooooo nice! We had made little "paperdolls" of each student with their future goals on it to display in the foyer and they turned out really cute.
Good luck to our new "6th graders" as you go forward in life! We love you all and wish you well. Never stop learning and growing and always remember to be respectful, kind, and hardworking! We look forward to hearing good things about you when you're in Middle School and even when you're all grown up!

Don't Forget Our Party On Monday!

Please remember to bring party food and something for YOU to drink for the party on Monday at 1:30! (My homeroom) We are also going to be practicing your songs and the promotion ceremony so come prepared to practice, practice, practice!

Tuesday is the promotion ceremony so remember to dress nicely (church attire) and remind your parents that you can leave right after the promotion ceremony and after you have your report card! This is soooooooooooooooooo exciting!!!! Only one and a half days left!

Field Day Today!

Well, today was field day and we sure had a lot of fun! Even the teachers participated in the game where you had to have a team of six walking in sync on two platforms! What fun! The students got snow cones, slid down the water slide and participated in many athletic competitions in the gym. Thanks to Coach James for organizing it all for us. We're going to miss him when he retires at the end of this year!

A FUN FUN FUN Fieldtrip To Amazement Square!

Well, today we had a BLAST! We took 37 fifth-graders, 8 parents, and 3 teachers to Amazement Square in Lynchburg, VA followed by a SCRUMPTIOUS buffet lunchon at Golden Corral! Everyone had a great time and we had the BEST behaved group there! Several people complimented our Taylor Toucans and I was sooooooooooooo proud of them! They went to two workshops on Cells and Light/Sound and demonstated that they knew A LOT!!!! Good job!!!! We had a ball playing with all of the displays and then sliding down tunnels and riding the zip line! Miss Dudley even got Mrs. Appleton to slide down a couple of tubes......you can see by the picture that Mrs. Appleton had a rough time with that one tube!hahahahahhahahahahaha What a fun day!!!Thank you to all of the WONDERFUL chaperones who went with us and had a ball with their kids! You all were so supportive and we appreciate you taking the day to be with all of our students! Now, check out all of the pictures of our fun day!

We Are Reading Hatchet And Loving It!

This will probably be our final novel of the year but what a WONDERFUL book to be reading together! It is a book of survival and finding strength deep within yourself to face your challenges........what a great lesson for our 5th grade students to be reading as they get ready to leave elementary school and face the new journey in life of middle school and beyond! One of my students today came up to me after class and said, "Mrs. Appleton, we all are kind of like Brian because we all face hard times and have to survive by being strong." YES! I'm glad my students can make those connections between books and their own lives. GREAT JOB!!!!!!!

Orientation At Bonner Today

Today all of the 5th-graders went to O.T. Bonner Middle School to attend an orientation that helped them get acquainted with the school that they will be attending next year. Bonner is MUCH bigger than Taylor and going to middle school can be a little scary at first so this will hopefully help them feel a little more comfortable about attending. We met with a team of 6th grade teachers who went over the dress code, rules, procedures, etc. It was interesting to learn that in 6th-grade all students must wear their shirts tucked in, pants at the waist with a belt on, no logo shirts, etc. We then took a tour of the 6th grade classrooms to see where things like band, computers, art, home and family life, etc. are taught. We saw the HUGE gym, the beautiful auditorium, etc. All of the students seemed to really get a lot out of the visit and they represented Taylor very well! Our students were sooooooooooooooooo well-behaved, mature, and we were proud to see how well they reacted to the experience!

We finished reading Island of the Blue Dolphins

My homeroom class finished reading the novel, Island of the Blue Dolphins. What a wonderful story of survival! All of the students LOVED the book and enjoyed comparing and contrasting the book and the movie. I'm so glad they enjoyed it. Many students agreed that the book was MUCH better than the movie!

Orientation Trip To O.T. Bonner On Friday

The 5th-Grade students will visit O.T. Bonner on Friday morning to get an orientation about the school and how things work so that they can be better prepared for next year. This is an excellent opportunity for students to get to know the school a little better in preparation for going there next year. You are to be on your best behavior!